Connecticut Sends in the Clowns

Up to now, there was only Joe Lieberman doing his Uriah Heep act for cable news cameras, but now the Nutmeg State has its own tent for November's national circus to rival such freak-show attractions as the Kentucky ophthalmologist with tunnel vision and flashbacks to an imaginary past.

The Democratic front-runner suddenly morphs from a buttoned-down bureaucrat to the character in "Arsenic and Old Lace," waving a wooden sword up the stairs yelling "Charge!" as Republicans counter with a woman whose yacht is named Sexy Bitch and whose political resume makes Sarah Palin look like Robert Byrd.

Linda McMahon, according to Gail Collins, "made a mint off the formerly seedy, small-town entertainment known as professional wrestling by adding heavy doses of sex, more spectacular violence and a raw tone that bordered on pornography. Linda McMahon now likes to brag that she’s 'created a product that is one of America’s greatest exports,' as if there’s no question that bringing half-naked women wrestling in pudding to 145 countries was one of America’s greater accomplishments."

Ms. McMahon's political career consists of a year's appointment to the State Board of Education, followed by a promise to spend $50 million of her own money to win the Senate seat, which was enough to defeat former Rep. Rob Simmons at the Republican convention last week as her campaign went on steroids by promoting Richard Blumenthal's "misstatements" about serving in Vietnam.

The GOP candidate's former enterprise, World Wrestling Entertainment, has tried to clean up its act by forbidding wrestlers to cut their foreheads with razor blades in the ring, a possible sign that her campaign will not feature as much blood and gore in its negative ads as might be expected.

But the contest to find a suitable Senate clown to pair with Joe Lieberman is sure to be no tea party. The Democrat's war record may be as staged as the Republican's wrestling matches, but both are going to get a taste of real combat now.